University of Manitoba Faculty Association sets March 10 as potential strike date

A potential strike by faculty at the University of Manitoba could begin March 10, says the union representing more than 1,300 professors, instructors and librarians.

The U of M Faculty Association has set a bargaining deadline of next Thursday, March 6, at 11:59 p.m., with a potential strike to start the following Monday, the union said in a news release.

Members have been without a contract since their collective agreement expired on March 31, 2024.

The union's members went on strike for five weeks in 2021 and for three weeks in 2016. Association president Erik Thomson hopes it doesn't come to that this year.

"I don't think we're that far apart," he said in a Friday interview with CBC News. "We've done a lot of negotiation and there's been a lot of serious bargaining at the table. It's just sort of making sure these last few things get done.

"I very much hope that administration does what's necessary and bridges this last little gap to make this a more normal term without an interruption."

Negotiations started in August but the university's administration still has not addressed some core bargaining issues including working conditions, workload, and child care, the faculty association said in a news release on Friday.

"In 1991, the university committed to providing quality child care for the children of UMFA members. That hasn't ever happened," Thomson said.

The bargaining teams last met at the table on Feb. 19, he said. Negotiations are set to resume March 3 and 4.

The university's administration has an opportunity to address the outstanding issues and provide stability for students, the union's news release said. Students expect a high-quality education, which depends on hiring, and keeping, talented professors, it added.

"But faculty have been leaving the university, or rejecting job offers to come here, because salaries aren't competitive with other universities across Canada," Thomson said in the release.

"Faculty who do stay are very committed to their students, but their workloads make it difficult to teach high-quality courses and mentor graduate students while simultaneously advancing research."

With faculty jobs unfilled, there are fewer options for students at Manitoba's only research-intensive university, which suggests "the administration is not prioritizing the quality of student education," Thomson said.

When contacted by CBC for comment, the University of Manitoba said in a statement that it is "attracting and retaining outstanding talent from around the world," and has put forward a "competitive proposal."

That includes "an emphasis on enhancing salaries through a combination of general salary increases (11.25 per cent increase over four years), structural adjustments and special adjustments," the university said.

The statement directs people to check the details of the offer and how it impacts salaries on the U of M labour relations website page.

"The university continues to bargain in good faith with UMFA with the intention of concluding a collective agreement without a labour disruption," the statement said.